Best Friends Forever

I can say that a best friend is like a sister,
But usually that feeling will fade with time.
It has taken me a little too long to learn
That different friends will come and go,
While a sister is a best friend who will always stick around.

Sometimes we tend to favor our friends.
I learned the hard way that friends aren't always true.
But you are always there when that happens,
With understanding hugs and a shoulder for my tears.
Waiting to help me stand after I have fallen.

Remember when we still insisted that dad come and tuck us in?
When we laid awake talking into the night
And tried to think of ways to get ourselves to stop and sleep?
Me on the top bunk and you on the bottom,
We often forced mom and dad to quiet us down.

Then we grew up and a little bit apart.
At times we fight and don't act as sisters should.
But though I haven't told you 'I love you' too much,
Our love is a bond not easily broken.
I still want to be like you.

Eventually it came time for you to move on.
That made me remember how much I cared about you,
It was tough for me to let you go.
But you were there assuring me that through the changes,
You would always be here for me, just like before.

Always my sister,
And best friends forever.
No matter what.
I'm blessed to have you in my life.

I love you, Chels.

Film Analysis

Karate Kid (2010)
Ordinary World: Dre is a normal twelve year old who likes to skateboard. His dad has died. He and his mom are moving to China because of her work. Dre struggles with the move, trying to fit in and find friends. "We moved to China! That's what happened."
Call: Bullies keep beating Dre up. Mr. Han defends him and treats his wounds. They go try to make peace with the teacher. Instead they end up with a challenge to fight them one-on-one at a tournament. "The boy will fight there."
Refusal: Dre is surprised and skeptical when he learns of the challenge. He believes they will kill him because of the way they have been taught. "So the bad news is now they get to beat me up in public."
Mentor: Mr. Han decides to teach Dre real kung fu. He has him doing exercises with his jacket and Dre is not sure he is learning anything. "Jacket on. Jacket off."
Threshold: Dre starts to connect with the kung fu a little bit. He is still not very good, but he is learning and starting to understand what it's about. "Kung fu lives in everything we do...everything is kung fu."
Tests, Allies, Enemies: He continues training with Mr. Han. They do many exercises and hike to the Dragon Well. Dre learns focus and chi. His mom, Mr. Han, and Mei Ying are supporting him. The bullies continue being his enemies from a distance. "There is only one person you need to learn to control."
Approach: Dre and Mei Ying skip school to take a break. She almost misses her audition. Her parents won't let her be his friend anymore. "We can no longer be friends. You are bad for my life." Mr. Han mourns about his wife and son's death. They use kung fu to work through things. Dre's training intensifies.
Ordeal: It is time for the tournament. Although he starts out shaky, Dre ends up in the semi finals and he has to face one of his bullies. Liang's coach tells him to break Dre. Dre is hurt badly and they don't want him to go on. "I'm sorry, you should not continue."
Reward: Dre finds a true friend in Mr. Han. He gains confidence as well as respect for his mother. He also earns approval from Mei Ying's father. "You're the best friend I ever had, Mr. Han."
Road Back: Dre doesn't want to quit. He is still scared and wants to face his fear so he can overcome it. "I don't want to be scared anymore." Mr. Han heals his leg so he can finish the fight.
Resurrection: Dre returns to the fight. Cheng's coach tells him to break his leg. "Finish him!" In his pain, Dre manages to get up. Calling on the things he has learned, he defeats Cheng despite his injured leg.  
Return: Dre wins the tournament and wins his bullies respect as well. Cheng presents him with his trophy. All of his bullies bow to Mr. Han.

Ordinary World

Part of That World
This is Sara Brighton. She is an average high school student. Stuck in the same monotonous pattern, there is not much variety in her days: school, homework, work, and babysitting the siblings. Let me not forget her longing to do things she doesn't have time for. Sara is 18 years old and just about ready to graduate and move on with the rest of her life. She is doing her best to fight off the disease that plagues seniors and find a source of income for college. Being a planner, she is not so crazy about the fact that she doesn't know how everything will work out. But she is learning how to learn as she goes. One day, Sara sees a poster in the school hallway advertising tryouts for a lead singer in a community musical. People have told her what a good voice she has, but singing in front of people terrifies her. She once tried out for the solo Part of Your World from Little Mermaid and didn't make it. There are so many other people who sing better than she does. With these thoughts, she dismisses it and goes on with the rest of her day. But nothing she does will keep it out of her mind.

Questions
Will Sara try out for the musical lead?
Will singing become her new passion?
Where will this idea take her?

Stand Up

This is for the little girl with big dreams, and the adult who remembers when she once had big dreams. For the woman who can only dream of dancing because she can't use her legs. Stand up. Even if you have to let someone else help you.

This is for those who give their all and it's not enough. For the teenagers who don't believe they're good enough. Stand up. Because no one can make that decision for you.

This is for those who question whether they're on the right road. For the rebels who glance back believing it's too late to go back. Stand up. Take that first step. Then take another.

This is for the child who wishes for an injury so she can be noticed. For the kids who wonder what they did to deserve this pain. For the kid with too much pressure and the one without any pressure at all. Stand up. Take charge of your life and be the best you can be.

This is for the boy who lost his chance. For the girl who had to move on. This is for everyone who has ever felt their heart break. For those who wish it would've gone differently. For the teenage girl who just found out she's pregnant. Stand up. Move forward.

This is for the girl who smiles when things aren't working out, but the smile doesn't reach her eyes. For the kid who laughs things off only because everyone else is laughing. For those who run as fast as they can and get nowhere. For the one who falls on his butt every time he kicks the ball. Stand up. Kick it again.

This is for the kids who end up in the middle of their parents' divorce. For the mother who is losing the battle with cancer. For the teenage girl who just found out she only has a couple months to live the rest of her life. Stand up. Keep living.

This is for you. For me. For everyone.
Stand up. Stand up for yourself and pull others up with you. Stand up in that dark corner you've crawled into and walk out. Stand up and don't let the darkness push you off your feet because it will lighten. Stand up.

Gandhi

I'm scared of the future.
Every adult tells me that things will work out...they have hindsight bias.
I'm about as sure as Gandhi was that he would make a difference,
It feels like the right thing, but is it?
I guess all we can do is trust our personal Muses to guide and inspire.
And, perhaps more importantly, trust ourselves.

When we were young, our parents made a lot of our choices.
As we grow, we must make more decisions by ourselves,
And then own up the the consequences, good or bad.
But still, when will we own ourselves completely?

I get too caught up in thinking:
Decisions, the future, who I am.
Maybe it's a good thing, then, that I haven't finished that guide book.
I've gotten about halfway through and marked the pages.
Yet, it's hard to tell if it's helping or increasing my stress.

I keep forgetting to just have fun with life,
Otherwise it'll continue seeming like an endless, monotonous pattern.
I keep forgetting I'm positive,
Because I'm focused on now rather than the future.

I'll just keep following the light of the future,
And pray that it won't be the last time I see that light.
Live today for tomorrow.

The Blurbs

Skin (Rascal Flatts)
David was with Sara Beth when she fell and then she only got worse. After she is diagnosed with cancer, he watches as she battles it, not knowing how to help. Sara tries to act tough. She wants to be a normal teenager but she is scared and worried because she's not anymore. When David does something for her, Sara knows that he truly cares.

Fifteen (Taylor Swift)
Taylor is nervous on her first day of high school. She becomes fast friends with a girl named Abigail and they take on high school together. They get caught up in the emotions of relationships and think everything is real. Unfortunately Abigail gets hurt by a boy who says he loves her. At that time the girls didn't yet know what they would know later.

Jesus Take the Wheel (Carrie Underwood)
Caroline is distracted as she drives to her parents for Christmas. She has been trying to make everything work with her job and her baby. When she hits ice and starts spinning, she is terrified. Caroline cries for Jesus to save her. She knows that she needs to change things in her life. She prays for forgiveness and asks for guidance in her life.  


Only Exception (Paramore)
Kylie witnessed the pain that both parents suffered when they were divorced. Believing that all marriages ended that way, she concluded love could never last. Convincing herself that she was fine with being alone, she would push people away and stay distanced. But now Kylie has met someone. Will he change her view of love?

Mine (Taylor Swift)
Lily is guarded because of the relationship she witnessed growing up. She now expects all relationships to end. Lily meets Sam at his job as a waiter. They fall in love and Sam learns her reasons for being fearful. Eventually they get married and are doing the best they can. Sam and Lily fight and everything she has experienced tells her it is over. But is it?

Who Needs More Than Six Words?

Tunes with Tales

"Skin" by Rascal Flatts
Plot: Sara Beth falls and when she feels sick and the bruise doesn't heal, they know something is wrong. When she goes to the doctor she finds out she has cancer. Sara is so scared but she still dreams of being a normal teenager and going to Prom. She doesn't think that will happen when she realizes her hair is falling out. The boy shows up with his own hair shaved and they go to Prom.
Characters: Sara Beth, Her parents, Doctors, Her date to Prom
Conflict: She lost her hair before Prom.
Setting: The hospital, Her home, Her dreams of dancing
Theme: Facing challenges. Knowing that those who love you will always accept you and be there.

"All-American Girl" by Carrie Underwood
Plot: A husband dreams of a baby boy so they can fish and play football. When they have a baby girl he loves her just the same. She grows up to fall in love with a football player. He gives up his dream to live a new dream with her. he wants a baby girl just like her.
Characters: Father, Nurse, Baby Girl, Grown Girl, Husband, Kids. (Girl dressed up as different all-american things)
Conflict: Father wanted a boy, Football star lost desire to play
Setting: Hospital, Football Field, diner (other places which represent all-american)
Theme: We don't always get exactly what we want, but we can still love it. Be happy with what you get. Follow YOUR dreams.

Jealous...

"If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you..."
Jealousy for a poem... Am I inflicted? Yes. I would call it longing; dreaming to be as good as that poet or singer or actor or dancer. Jealousy is a harsh word, but it sounds about right. Maybe envy, at the very least.
"If you can wait and not be tired by waiting..."
"If" by Rudyard Kipling. This was one of the very first poems I came across in our poetry notebook. Immediately after reading it, I folded down the corner of the page and read it again. I like poems that make sense, or that i can make sense of. The metaphors have to be simple enough or I will think too hard and dislike the poem. "If" is straightforward and easy to follow, but it still made me think.
"Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies..."
I felt it was speaking to me. How I can be the bigger person. How I can balance the good and bad in life and make them both to benefit. Things we have deal with from high school on. That's how I want my poetry to be. Words people can relate to, take strength from. I am jealous of how Mr. Kipling was able to express his thoughts so clearly. That is the biggest struggle for me and it is frustrating to see it come naturally to others when I work so hard at it.
"If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools;
...you'll be a Man my son!"

Once Upon a Complaint

I'm tired of being tired and still having to do everything expected.
I'm tired of people who say one thing and do something else.
I'm tired of high school drama.
I'm tired of finding out that it wasn't real.
I'm tired of my own expectations.
I'm tired of life having to be in constant action.
I'm tired of feeling like people don't want me around them.
I'm tired of feeling like I have to prove myself to everyone.
I'm tired of this skewed world.
I'm tired of not having enough time.
I'm tired of feeling inadequate, insecure, used, misunderstood, ignored.
I'm tired of over thinking.
I'm tired of decisions and my inability to make them.
I'm tired of the lack of independence.
I'm tired of trying to piece my heart back together.
I'm tired of failing to make sense of things.
I'm tired of not knowing how to help myself or how to let others help.
I'm tired of being stuck in one place.

I'm tired of clouding my head with negativity.

Love

What is love? We all think we know what it is and when we feel it, but do we really? I don't know. Love is a very powerful emotion, something that no person can understand fully. Yet, we understand it well enough. So here is my understanding of what love is to me:

Love is missing him so much you think your heart might break. Love is sobbing in your brother's arms realizing your family really does love you more than your friends do. Love is seeing someone go through something hard and wanting to do it for them. Love is fighting and then loving each other more when it's over. Love is sometimes talking but mostly listening. Love is falling, not knowing for sure if someone is going to catch you. Love is interrupting just to tell someone you love them. Love is being a support when everyone else has let her down. Love is doing something for someone when they don't need it. Love is going to support him at his basketball even though they've lost the last three games. Love is walking out the door and then running back in for your kiss and hug. Love is losing yourself a little bit because you're only thinking of him. Love is when he lets you take out your bad day on him and doesn't love you less. Love is trusting so much that you're willing to give your heart even though it's been broken too many times. Love is growing old together.

Why do we all try so hard to define love? It is so complicated yet so simple. It is the biggest and smallest acts. Love is best felt. Then we express it in three simple yet important words--I love you. And that's all we really have to say.

Blossoming Potential

Taken away from everyone like you
And gently placed alone.
It is dark and hard to breathe.
You must push above to the surface,
But stay firm and rooted.
It is light and clear,
Yet not everything makes sense still.
Others lovingly take care of you.
Still, much of your growth depends on you.
You have to try every day.
You have to grow every day,
Reaching for the light, pushing higher.
Sometimes receiving help from others.
Careful not to compare yourself,
For you are loved for unique qualities.
The wind blows you every direction,
It affects you more as you grow closer to the light.
But, you are rooted firmly.
The rain beats down upon you,
Some take important things away from you,
Others try to cut you down,
Or destroy your roots.
You may be damaged and hurt,
But you must still try to stand strong.
Just remember to reach for your potential,
Then keep growing!

Boulevard of Broken Dreams

I walk alone. I walk alone. It is the darkest day I've ever seen. My clothes and hair are dripping wet in the somber rain. I left my jacket back three miles with my broken heart. While I shiver, I see the goals I never went for. The weaknesses I never overcame. In the middle of the street lays a piano that has never been mastered. A wet paper is crumpled in the gutter--a song never sung by my voice. Dance shoes never worn are in the trash. The chances I never took are fluttering around my head. I walk alone. It's dark and dull and silent. Cluttered. Blurry. No color, no life. I never wanted to end up here. Maybe if I keep walking, maybe it'll disappear. Then there are people, but it's like they don't see me. I'm invisible. I walk alone. I see all the people who I didn't give a chance. I see all those I didn't give my time to. I see those i didn't love as I should have. A paper filled with important words never spoken, flies away in the wind. I see the reflection of what could've been in a muddy puddle. A dark window reflects the dreams I never pursued. Still, I walk alone. I see a flower and it seems to be the only beautiful thing left. But it is drooping, drowned from the downpour. Most of me wants to drop onto the soggy mud and curl up. But, maybe if I keep walking? Or maybe I will be forever walking through my regrets.

Thinking About You

I'm thinking about you. I'm thinking about you like bare feet think about the warm sand on the beach. Like sand thinks about the foamy waves. I'm thinking about you like rainbows think about colors. Like thunderstorms think about rain. Like the 4th of July thinks about fireworks. I'm thinking about you like monsters think about closets and the underside of a bed. Like children think about monsters. Like teenagers think about sleep. I'm thinking about you like February thinks of spring. Like spring thinks of new beginnings. Like hearts think about love. Like people think about the future. I'm thinking about you like songs think of lyrics. Like sweet lovers think of the first time they met. Like you think about me. I'm thinking about you like the sun thinks of meeting the horizon of another day. Like mountains think of meeting the horizon of a sunset. Like lovers think of walking hand and hand in the dying light. I'm thinking of you like that song I can't get out of my head. Like a regret thinks of only if. Like a song thinks about being sung. I'm thinking about you like I think about the rest of my life. Like every other girl thinks about being your wife. Like I think about being your wife. I'm thinking about you like the night sky thinks about stars. Like I think about the stars in both of our eyes as we gaze at the stars. I'm thinking about you like I can't stop thinking. Like you are the only thing worth thinking about all the time. I'm thinking of you. <3

Direct Orders

You are under direct orders to rock the heck out!!! Rock out like you've been sick your entire life and you have miraculously healed. Rock out like it's 2:14 and it's the last day of school. Rock out like it's your last day of high school. Rock out like you are graduating and you thought it would never happen. Rock out like it is 2012, the world is ending, and this is the last chance you have to rock out. Rock out like you never have to do homework again. Rock out like you just did something you didn't imagine you could do. Rock out like everyone is proud of you. Rock out like you have a chance to relax and breathe from the craziness of life. Rock out like it's the weekend and you don't have to babysit your siblings. Rock out like it's been the longest day and it is time for bed. Rock out like you thought you forgot something but you actually remembered it. Rock out like you will always remember the greatest memories. Rock out like time is up but you had enough. Rock out like you have been flirting with him since elementary school, and he finally asked you out. Rock out like she said yes. Rock out like your parents just gave you permission to be out all night. Rock out like you had the chance to easily see every single person you missed right now. Rock out like you finished a project early, like you finished a project barely in time. Rock out like it's all you have left. Rock out like no one is watching, like everyone is watching. Rock out like you just got a hug from your favorite person. Rock out like you are in love. Rock out like you met David Archuleta and he wants to be your friend. Rock out like you have cancer and they just discovered the cure. Rock out like you have accomplished your goals. Rock out like it's the happiest moment of your life. Rock out like you just finished the hardest thing you thought you would ever do. Rock out like you've discovered a new passion. Rock out like you're happy with yourself. Rock out like you're genuinely happy for a friend. Rock out because you can.

Introduction

Hey welcome to my blog! I decided to be known as Sara Brighton who is a character in a series called The Great and Terrible. These books are more on the religious side because they deal with a fictional story about the last days, but I would highly recommend them. Sara deals with more than you can imagine in these books, but she still stays strong and true to the things she believes in. She reminds me to always try to stay positive when things get tough. I strive to be positive and believe that things will work out no matter how bleak it seems in that moment.
I'll tell a little about myself. I come from a large family so there is constantly something going on, never a dull moment. I wouldn't have it any other way, but it makes a quiet moment very valuable. I'm an all out nature girl. I love to be outside hiking, camping, boating, or just staring at the scenery around me. I love the color yellow because it's happy. I love to be surrounded by my family and friends. I severely dislike being bored but also having too much to do. I love to read. I don't entirely like writing, but I hope to like writing more after this class is over.
I'm just trying to live life to the fullest!